Repositioning the papillary muscles within the ventricles of the heart during atrioventricular valve repair surgery may improve outcomes. The displacement of the papillary muscles, due to ischemia, heart failure, or other causes of ventricular reshaping, may result in tethering of the valve leaflets, which may interfere with their normal functioning. Repairs that focus only on the valve annulus often result in recurrence of regurgitation due to leaflet tethering.
Methods of papillary muscle repositioning include sutures from the papillary muscle(s) up to the annulus of the valve or the aorta, slings that encircle multiple papillary muscles to pull the papillary muscles together, and sutures to pull the papillary muscles together. However, these methods of papillary muscle repositioning are typically performed during an open-heart surgery.
Therefore, a need exists for less invasive systems and methods for performing papillary muscle repositioning.